Friday, January 10, 2014

Last week, Sarah L.
published on a conversion site about a Gemach for people. I realized that not
only potential Gerim did not know about what a Gemach is but even as a Reform
and being in a Conservative Schul as I strengthened myself, the congregants did
not know what a Gemach is. Gemach is short for Gemilus Chassadim or unbridled
Chessed. In Modiin Illit there are a number of Gemach for different things. One
for pacifiers for children if they lose them at night or Shabbos, another for
medications, others for interest free loans against postdated checks, some for
tools, and others for bridal dresses and almost anything that can be loaned
out. This is a beautiful thing about Judaism.

Parsha Beshallach

“Glory be free at last!” – Dr. Martin Luther King is the theme for
this week’s Parsha. Last week after 10 months of Makkos, Pharaoh has let the
Bnei Yisrael go to pray 3 days into the wilderness and at first they seem to be
returning but not straight back according to some both those who claim to have
seen chariots on the sea bed in Nuweiba it indicates that they fled in haste
that distance in 6 days. Pharaoh and his advisors see that their cheap labor
force has gone and want to take back the slaves by force and kill the leaders
it would seem.

This week is also called Parsha Shira because of the song by the
sea and has Parsha Ha Mann with the supply of Manna.

13:17 And it
came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not by the
way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said: 'Lest
peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt.'

They did not go Derek Eretz or the ways of the land rather they
had a Amud (Pillar) of Aish by night and Amud Anan [Cloud(s)] of Kavod by day!
They were not guided by a roadway or map but by the L-RD to make a nation.

18 But
God led the people about, by the way of the wilderness by the Red Sea; and the
children of Israel went up armed out of the land of Egypt.

They either borrowed, took from the first born guards who died or
made their own arms. There could have been at this time something similar to
the Hagana and the Etzel that would arise close to 3260 years later.

19 And
Moses took the bones of Joseph with him; for he had straightly sworn the
children of Israel, saying: 'God will surely remember you; and ye shall carry
up my bones away hence with you.'

In Hebrew there is a double use of a word in a different
grammatical form הַשְׁבֵּעַ הִשְׁבִּיעַwhich shows extra emphasis. The meaning is that you swore an oath
that you would take Yosef’s bones out of Egypt even when he is no longer like a
king and cannot enact reprisals.

For he had adjured:
Heb. הִֹשְבִּיעַ הַֹשְבֵּעַ. [The double expression indicates that] he [Joseph]
had made them [his brothers] swear that they would make their children swear
(Mechilta). Now why did he not make his sons swear to carry him to the land of
Canaan immediately [when he died], as Jacob had made [him] swear? Joseph said,
“I was a ruler in Egypt, and I had the ability to do [this]. As for my sons-the
Egyptians will not let them do [it].” Therefore, he made them swear that when
they would be redeemed and would leave there [Egypt], they would carry him
[out]. — [from Mechilta and you shall bring up my bones from here with you: He
made his brothers swear in this manner. We learn [from this] that the bones of
all [the progenitors of] the tribes they brought up [out of Egypt] with them as
it is said “with you” -[from Mechilta]

20 And
they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the
wilderness.

They traveled from
Succoth: on the second day, for on the first day they came from Rameses to
Succoth.

The Torah is not written as a travel guide or a geographical book.
There obvious is a hidden meaning for the future. What is the hidden meaning I
do not know! However, we will find it out during the either the war of Gog or
as the Moshiach comes.

21 And
the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them the way;
and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; that they might go by day
and by night: 22 the pillar of
cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night, departed not from before the
people.

To cause it to lead
them on the way: Heb. לַנְחֹתָם. [The “lammed” is] vowelized with a “pattach,”
which is equivalent to לְהַנְחֹתָם, like “to show you (לַראֹתְכֶם) on the way
on which you shall go” (Deut. 1:33), which is like לְהַרְאֹתְכֶם. Here also,
[it means] to cause to lead you (לְהַנְחֹתָם) through a messenger. Now who was
that messenger? [It was] the pillar of cloud, and the Holy One, blessed be He,
in His glory, led it before them. In any case, it was the pillar of cloud that
He prepared so that they could be led by it, for they would travel by the
pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud was not [meant] to provide light but
to direct them [on] the way.

It is normal for
Shepherds and flocks only to travel by day and camp at night but they kept
going each day into the night.

14:1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses,
saying: 2 'Speak unto the
children of Israel, that they turn back and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between
Migdol and the sea, before Baal-zephon, over against it shall ye encamp by the
sea.

And let
them turn back: to
their rear. They approached nearer to Egypt during the entire third day in
order to mislead Pharaoh, so that he would say, “They are astray on the road,”
as it is said: “And Pharaoh will say about the children of Israel…” (Exod.
14:3). and let them turn back: to their rear. They approached nearer to Egypt during the entire
third day in order to mislead Pharaoh, so that he would say, “They are astray
on the road,” as it is said: “And Pharaoh will say about the children of
Israel…” (Exod. 14:3). in
front of Ba’al Zephon: [Only]
this was left from all the Egyptian deities in order to mislead them [the
Egyptians], so they would say that their deity is powerful. Concerning this
[tactic] Job explained: “He misleads nations and destroys them” (Job 12:23). — [from Mechilta]

3 And Pharaoh will say of the
children of Israel: They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut
them in.

For Pharaoh it looks like there is no way out it
is time to teach the runaway slaves his anger and murder their leaders so that
it will ingrain in his slaves for centuries to come never ever think of a
rebellion they will find it futile. There are sharp coral and sharks in the Red
Sea they are finished they will prefer life of slavery rather than death with
liberty.

And
Pharaoh will say: when he
hears that they [the Israelites] are turning back. about the children of Israel: Heb. לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, concerning the children of Israel. And
so [the “lammed” is understood similarly in the phrase] "The Lord will
fight for you (לָכֶם) (verse 14), on your behalf; [and similarly,] “say about
me (לִי)” (Gen. 20:13), [which signifies] concerning me. They are trapped: Heb. נְבֻכִים,
locked in and sunk, and in French serrer, [meaning] press, tighten, or squeeze,
like “in the deep (הַבָּכָא) valley” (Ps. 84:7); [and like] “the depths of (מִבְּכִי)
the rivers” (Job 28:11); [and
likewise] “the locks of (נִבְכֵי) the sea” (Job 38:16). [In his commentary on
this verse, Rashi follows Menachem (Machbereth Menachem, p. 45). Rashi on
Psalms and Job 28:11, however,
interprets those verses as expressions of weeping, from the root בכה. See
Judaica Press commentary digest on Job
28:11.] They
are trapped: They
are locked in the desert, for they do not know how to get out of it and where
to go.

4 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart,
and he shall follow after them; and I will get Me honor upon Pharaoh, and upon
all his host; and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD.' And they did
so.

And I will be
glorified through Pharaoh: When the Holy One blessed be He wreaks vengeance
upon the wicked, His name becomes magnified and glorified. So it [Scripture]
says: “And I will judge against him, etc.” and afterwards [the prophet says],
“And I will magnify and sanctify Myself and I will be known, etc.” (Ezek 38:22,
23) And [Scripture similarly] says: “There he broke the arrows of the bow,”
[which refers to Sennacherib’s defeat,] and afterwards [i.e., the result of
that], “God is known in Judah” (Ps. 76:2,4) And [Scripture similarly] says:
“The Lord is known for the judgement that He performed” (Ps. 9:17). — [from
Mechilta] Through Pharaoh and through his entire force: He [Pharaoh] initiated
the sinful behavior, and [thus] the retribution started with him. — [from
Mechilta]And they did so: [This is stated] to tell their praise, that they
obeyed Moses and did not say, “How will we draw near to our enemies [by
returning in the direction of Egypt]? We have to escape.” Instead they said,
“All we have are the words of [Moses] the son of Amram.” [I.e., we have no
other plan to follow, only the words of the son of Amram.]-[from Mechilta]

You have now a taste of freedom you have not yet
seen the promised land and the desert is a hostile place but yet you have seen
the miracles and wonders so you put your trust in HASHEM and Moshe HIS servant.

5 And it was told the king of Egypt
that the people were fled; and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was
turned towards the people, and they said: 'What is this we have done, that we
have let Israel go from serving us?

It was reported to
Pharaoh: He [Pharaoh] sent officers with them, and as soon as the three days
they [the Israelites] had set to go [into the desert] and return had elapsed,
and they [the officers] saw that they were not returning to Egypt, they came
and informed Pharaoh on the fourth day. On the fifth and the sixth [days after
the Israelites’ departure], they pursued them. On the night preceding the seventh,
they went down into the sea. In the morning [of the seventh day], they [the
Israelites] recited the Song [of the Sea (Exod. 15:1-18)]. Therefore, we read
[in the Torah] the Song on the seventh day, that is the seventh day of
Passover. Had a change: He [Pharaoh] had a change of heart from how he had felt
[previously], for he had said to them [the Israelites], “Get up and get out
from among my people” (Exod. 12:31). His servants [also] had a change of heart,
for previously they had said to him, “How long will this one be a stumbling
block to us?” (Exod. 10:7). Now they had a change of heart to pursue them [the
Israelites] on account of the money that they had lent them. — [based on
Mechilta] From serving us: Heb. מֵעָבְדֵנוּ, from serving us.

The slave economy was gone now they would have
to do the dirty jobs themselves and work hard something that they were not used
to.

6 And he made ready his chariots, and
took his people with him.

So he [Pharaoh] harnessed
his chariot: He [did so] personally. — [from Mechilta] and took his people with
him: He attracted them with [his] words, "We suffered, they took our
money, and [then] we let them go! Come with me, and I will not behave with you
as do other kings. With other kings, it is customary that their servants
precede them in battle, but I will precede you," as [indeed] it is said:
“Pharaoh drew near” (Exod. 14:10). [This means that Pharaoh] himself drew near
and hastened before his armies. "It is customary for other kings to take
plunder at the beginning, as much as he [the king] chooses. [But] I will share
equally with you," as it is said: “I will share the booty” (Exod. 15:9).

His soldiers were scared so he promised them
booty and all the women that they could abuse to teach the Hebrews a lesson and
leave them with nothing.

7 And he took six hundred chosen
chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over all of them.

And all the chariots
of Egypt: And with them, all the rest of the chariots. Now where did all these
animals come from? If you say [that they belonged] to the Egyptians, it says
already: “and all the livestock of the Egyptians died” (Exod. 9:6). And if [you
say that they belonged] to the Israelites, does it not say: “also our cattle will
go with us” (Exod. 10:26). Whose were they [from if that was the case]? They
[belonged] to those who feared the word of the Lord [i.e., to those who drove
their servants and their livestock into the houses as in Exod. 9:20]. From here
Rabbi Simeon would say, "[Even] the best of the Egyptians --[you must]
kill; [even] the best of the serpents-[you must] crush its head."-[from
Mechilta]

One chariot would be enough to round up 1000 men
who were servile in their philosophy. Rashi’s question and answer should have
bothered us enough to ask the same but unfortunately we were not paying that
much attention to the narrative like Rashi.

8 And the LORD hardened the heart of
Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel; for the
children of Israel went out with a high hand. 9 And the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and
chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them
encamping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon. 10 And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the
children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians were
marching after them; and they were sore afraid; and the children of Israel
cried out unto the LORD.

Cried out: They seized
the art of their ancestors [i.e., they prayed]. Concerning Abraham, it
[Scripture] says: “to the place where he had stood before the Lord” (Gen.
19:27). 2 Concerning Isaac, [it is stated] “to pray in the field” (Gen. 24:63).
Concerning Jacob, “And he entreated the Omnipresent” (Gen. 28:11). (See Judaica
Press comm. digest on that verse.)-[from Mechilta; Tanchuma Beshallach 9]

11 And they said unto Moses: 'Because
there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the
wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to bring us forth out of
Egypt?

Is it because there
are no graves: Heb. הִמִבְּלִי אֵין קְבָרִים. Is it because of the want? Namely
that there are no graves in Egypt in which to be buried, that you have taken us
out of there? Si por falyanze de non fosses in Old French [i.e., Is it for
lack, that there are no graves?].

The people were sore afraid. They had never
fought in a war before and Egypt was the super power of their day. Egypt
supplied a massive army for the Six Day War and the Yom Kippur War. The former
was not well trained but the later had drilled and had all the supplies and
equipment to conquer up to Tel Aviv and beyond.

12 Is not this the word that we spoke
unto thee in Egypt, saying: Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For
it were better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the
wilderness.'

Isn’t this the thing
[about] which we spoke to you in Egypt: When had they said [this]? "And
thethan die: Heb. מִמֻּתֵנוּ, Than we should die. If it [מִמֻּתֵנוּ] were
vowelized with a “melupum” (i.e., a “cholam,” [מִמּוֹתֵנוּ] as it is known that
the grammarians called a “cholam” a “melupum.” See Rashi below on Exod. 19:24),
it would be explained as: “than our death.” Now that it is vowelized with a
“shuruk” [מִמֻּתֵנוּ], it is explained as “than we should die.” Likewise [in
the verse], “If only we had died (מּוּתֵנוּ)” (Exod. 16:3), [means] that we
would die. [Similarly,] “If only I had died (מּוּתֵי) instead of you” (II Sam.
19:1), referring to Absalom [means, I should have died]; [And מּוּתִי is
similar to (קוּמִי) in the verse:] “for the day that I will rise up (קוּמִי)”
(Zeph. 3:8); [and also similar to (ֹשוּבִי) in the verse] “until I return
(ֹשוּבִי) in peace” (II Chron. 18:26), [which mean respectively] that I rise
up, that I return.y said to them, “May the Lord look upon you and judge’ ”
(Exod. 5:21). [from Mechilta]

The people originally doubted Moshe and now
having been a few generations in Egypt it was hard for them to leave to this
wilderness. Now they were afraid of death which should have been Moshe and
Aaron but I assume the other leaders were afraid that they too would be killed
when Pharaoh re-enslaved the Bnei Yisrael.

13 And Moses said unto the people:
'Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will
work for you to-day; for whereas ye have seen the Egyptians to-day, ye shall
see them again no more forever.

Today is the last day that the Egyptians will
bother you. DURING THE WAR OF GOG AND MAGOG WE WILL REACH
A POINT WHERE ALL WILL LOOK LIKE IT IS LOST AND THE L-RD WILL PROVIDE HIS
SALVATION THEN BUT WE HAVE TO DO OUR BEST TO DEFEND AS IF HE IS NOT GOING TO
HELP US.

For the way you have
seen the Egyptians, etc.: The way you have seen them-that is only today. It is
[only] today that you have seen them, but you shall no longer continue [to see
them].

14 The LORD will fight for you, and ye
shall hold your peace.'

HASHEM will fight your battle and you shall
inherit freedom as long as you keep HIS commandments.

The
Lord will fight for you: Heb. לָכֶם,
for you, and similarly [the “lammed” in the verse], “because the Lord is
fighting for them (לָהֶם)” (verse 25), and similarly [in the verse] “Will you
contend for God (לָאֵל) ?” (Job 13:8).
And similarly, "and Who spoke about me (לִי) (Gen. 24:7), and similarly,
“Will you contend for the Baal (לַבַּעַל) ?” (Jud. 6:31).

15 And the LORD said unto Moses:
'Wherefore do you cry unto Me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go
forward. 16 And lift thou up thy
rod, and stretch out thy hand over the sea, and divide it; and the children of
Israel shall go into the midst of the sea on dry ground. 17 And I, behold, I will harden the
hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall go in after them; and I will get Me
honor upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his
horsemen. 18 And the Egyptians
shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten Me honor upon Pharaoh, upon
his chariots, and upon his horsemen.' 19
And the angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, removed and went
behind them; and the pillar of cloud removed from before them, and stood behind
them;

During the speech of HASHEM to Moshe the Amud
Anan goes behind them causing darkness upon the soldiers of Mitzrayim and the
spears, swords and arrows have no effect upon the cloud. The Angel of G-D is
used here instead of the Angel of the L-RD (Rashi) if the word L-RD was used, I
would say the angel was Michael. However, when ELOKIM is used it signifies
judegement and int Yechezkel it was the Angel Gavriel who carried that out.

20 and it came between the camp of
Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud and the darkness here,
yet gave it light by night there; and the one came not near the other all the
night. 21 And Moses stretched
out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong
east wind all the night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were
divided.

Did an earthquake occur? A planetary encounter
or close call with an Asteroid? Or did the Stromboli type of super-volcano blow
up leaving a massive hole in the water draining the sea level at this time.
What caused the sea to stand up a super cold artic freeze at the time of the
crossing? One does not know but usually miracles occur naturally.

22 And the children of Israel went
into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground; and the waters were a wall unto
them on their right hand, and on their left.

The wall of water on the right and on the left
implies either a planetary encounter or a super-fast wind chill freezing the sea
into a wall on the right and left no other possible natural explanation or
theory that I know of can fit this description of the passage or the filmed
chariot wheels that I mentioned last year with the referenced link to the film.

23 And the Egyptians pursued, and went
in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots,
and his horsemen. 24 And it came
to pass in the morning watch, that the LORD looked forth upon the host of the
Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of cloud, and discomfited the host of
the Egyptians. 25 And He took
off their chariot wheels, and made them to drive heavily; so that the Egyptians
said: 'Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fights for them against
the Egyptians.'

From the film of the sea bed some wheels were
off while others were possibly trapped in the sand or just plain buried by the
water.

26 And the LORD said unto Moses:
'Stretch out thy hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the
Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.' 27 And Moses stretched forth his hand
over the sea, and the sea returned to its strength when the morning appeared;
and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the
midst of the sea. 28 And the
waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, even all the host
of Pharaoh that went in after them into the sea; there remained not so much as
one of them. 29 But the children
of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a
wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. 30 Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the
Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea-shore. 31 And Israel saw the great work which
the LORD did upon the Egyptians, and the people feared the LORD; and they
believed in the LORD, and in His servant Moses.

Boy it certainly took a long time before the Bnei Yisrael believed
in HASHEMand Moshe.

15:1 Then sang Moses and the children of
Israel grammatically is WILL SING this song
unto the LORD, IN THE FUTURE and spoke, saying: I will sing unto the LORD,
for He is highly exalted; the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea. 2 The LORD is my strength and song,
and He is become my salvation; this is my God, and I will glorify Him; my
father's God, and I will exalt Him. 3
The LORD is a man of war, The LORD is His name. 4 Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath He cast into the sea, and
his chosen captains are sunk in the Red Sea. 5 The deeps cover them--they went down into the depths like a
stone. 6 Thy right hand, O LORD,
glorious in power, Thy right hand, O LORD, dashes in pieces the enemy. 7 And in the greatness of Thine
excellency Thou overthrows them that rise up against Thee; Thou send forth Thy
wrath, it consumes them as stubble. 8
And with the blast of Thy nostrils the waters were piled up--the floods stood
upright as a heap; the deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea. 9 The enemy said: 'I will pursue, I
will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I
will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.' 10 Thou didst blow with Thy wind, the sea covered them; they sank
as lead in the mighty waters. 11
Who is like unto Thee, O LORD, among the mighty? who is like unto Thee,
glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? 12 Thou stretched out Thy right
hand--the earth swallowed them. 13
Thou in Thy love hast led the people that Thou hast redeemed; Thou hast guided
them in Thy strength to Thy holy habitation. 14 The peoples have heard, they tremble; pangs have taken hold on
the inhabitants of Philistia. 15
Then were the chiefs of Edom affrighted; the mighty men of Moab, trembling takes
hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan are melted away. 16 Terror and dread falls upon them;
by the greatness of Thine arm they are as still as a stone; till Thy people
pass over, O LORD, till the people pass over that Thou hast gotten. 17 Thou bring them in, and plant them
in the mountain of Thine inheritance, the place, O LORD, which Thou hast made
for Thee to dwell in, the sanctuary, O Lord, which Thy hands have established. 18 The LORD shall reign for ever and
ever. 19 For the horses of
Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the
LORD brought back the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel
walked on dry land in the midst of the sea.

20 And Miriam the prophetess, the
sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after
her with timbrels and with dances. 21
And Miriam sang unto them: Sing ye to the LORD, for He is highly exalted: the
horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea.

The next thing we know is that there was no
water. Moshe finds water but it is bitter and HASHEM helps him in sweetening
it.

16:1 And they took their journey from
Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the
wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the
second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt. 2 And the whole congregation of the
children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness; 3 and the children of Israel said unto
them: 'Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt,
when we sat by the flesh-pots, when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have
brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with
hunger.' 4 Then said the LORD
unto Moses: 'Behold, I will cause to rain bread from heaven for you; and the
people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may prove
them, whether they will walk in My law, or not. 5 And it shall come to pass on the sixth day that they shall
prepare that which they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather
daily.' 6 And Moses and Aaron
said unto all the children of Israel: 'At even, then ye shall know that the
LORD hath brought you out from the land of Egypt; 7 and in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the LORD; for
that He hath heard your murmurings against the LORD; and what are we, that ye
murmur against us?'

The people question Moshe and Aaron and in fact
are indirectly questioning HASHEM.

8 And Moses said: 'This shall be,
when the LORD shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning
bread to the full; for that the LORD hears your murmurings which ye murmur
against Him; and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against
the LORD.' 9 And Moses said unto
Aaron: 'Say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel: Come near
before the LORD; for He hath heard your murmurings.' 10 And it came to pass, as Aaron spoke unto the whole congregation
of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold,
the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.

At this point the people become again awe
stricken.

11 And the LORD spoke unto Moses,
saying: 12 'I have heard the
murmurings of the children of Israel. Speak unto them, saying: At dusk ye shall
eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know
that I am the LORD your God.' 13
And it came to pass at even, that the quails came up, and covered the camp; and
in the morning there was a layer of dew round about the camp. 14 And when the layer of dew was gone
up, behold upon the face of the wilderness a fine, scale-like thing, fine as
the hoar-frost on the ground. 15
And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another: 'What is
it?'--for they knew not what it was. And Moses said unto them: 'It is the bread
which the LORD hath given you to eat.

The name Mann or Manna is from the Hebrew Mann
or what is this?

16 This is the thing which the LORD
hath commanded: Gather ye of it every man according to his eating; an omer a
head, according to the number of your persons, shall ye take it, every man for
them that are in his tent.' 17
And the children of Israel did so, and gathered some more, some less. 18 And when they did mete it with an
omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had
no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. 19 And Moses said unto them: 'Let no
man leave of it till the morning.' 20
Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it
until the morning, and it bred worms, and rotted; and Moses was wroth with
them. 21 And they gathered it
morning by morning, every man according to his eating; and as the sun waxed
hot, it melted. 22 And it came
to pass that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for
each one; and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. 23 And he said unto them: 'This is
that which the LORD hath spoken: To-morrow is a solemn rest, a holy Sabbath
unto the LORD. Bake that which ye will bake, and seethe that which ye will
seethe; and all that remains over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.'
24 And they laid it up till the
morning, as Moses bade; and it did not rot, neither was there any worm therein.
25 And Moses said: 'Eat that
to-day; for to-day is a Sabbath unto the LORD; to-day ye shall not find it in
the field. 26 Six days ye shall
gather it; but on the seventh day is the Sabbath, in it there shall be none.' 27 And it came to pass on the seventh
day, that there went out some of the people to gather, and they found none.

We see here for the first time the holiness of Shabbos
is mentioned.

28 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'How
long refuse ye to keep My commandments and My laws? 29 See that the LORD hath given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives
you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place,
let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.' 30 So the people rested on the seventh day. 31 And the house of Israel called the
name thereof Manna; and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it
was like wafers made with honey. 32
And Moses said: 'This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded: Let an
omerful of it be kept throughout your generations; that they may see the bread
wherewith I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land
of Egypt.' 33 And Moses said
unto Aaron: 'Take a jar, and put an omerful of manna therein, and lay it up
before the LORD, to be kept throughout your generations.' 34 As the LORD commanded Moses, so
Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. 35 And the children of Israel did eat the manna forty years, until
they came to a land inhabited; they did eat the manna, until they came unto the
borders of the land of Canaan. 36
Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah

Israel was not spoiled like us and endured 40
years on the Mann. According to the Medrash one could imagine it tasting like a
steak or cheese and it would taste that way the simple Pshat is that it tasted
good enough.

17:1 And all the congregation of the
children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, by their stages,
according to the commandment of the LORD, and encamped in Rephidim; and there
was no water for the people to drink. 2
Wherefore the people strove with Moses, and said: 'Give us water that we may
drink.' And Moses said unto them: 'Why strive ye with me? wherefore do ye try
the LORD?' 3 And the people
thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said:
'Wherefore hast thou brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children
and our cattle with thirst?'

All the time the people complained to Moshe and
he is under constant stress. Because of their weakness the place was called
Rephidim form Raphui or weak.

4 And Moses cried unto the LORD,
saying: 'What shall I do unto this people? they are almost ready to stone me.' 5 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Pass
on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod,
wherewith thou smote the river, take in thy hand, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before thee there
upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come
water out of it, that the people may drink.' And Moses did so in the sight of
the elders of Israel. 7 And the
name of the place was called Massah, and Meribah, because of the striving of
the children of Israel, and because they tried the LORD, saying: 'Is the LORD
among us, or not?' 8 Then came
Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.

Named so because they showed weakness in their
belief in HASHEM and Moshe. Because of this spiritual weakness they became
vulnerable to Amalek. All the Parsha with the quail is describe in details
latter in Bamidbar and the weakness here causes Amalek to attack.

9 And Moses said unto Joshua: 'Choose
us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek; tomorrow I will stand on the top of
the hill with the rod of God in my hand.' 10 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek;
and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 And it came to pass, when Moses
held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek
prevailed. 12 But Moses' hands
were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon;
and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other
on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 And Joshua discomfited Amalek and
his people with the edge of the sword. 14
And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Write this for a memorial in the book, and
rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly blot out the remembrance
of Amalek from under heaven.' 15
And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Adonai-nissi. 16 And he said: 'The hand upon the
throne of the LORD: the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to
generation.'

A few words on Eric or Ariel Sharon

At the time of my writing this he is diagnosed in grave condition
and chances are by the publication of this, he will no longer be with us. He
was perhaps the most controversial personality since the founding of the State
of Israel. Most people will agree that he was a bit of a renegade but got
things done. He started out as a Talmid of Ben Gurion. Ruby Rivlin remembers
him from their youth. They were good friends. Eric was to the left and Ruby to
the right but they knew each other and liked each other. Ruby became an officer
in the Tank Corp and Eric a paratrooper officer. Ruby was from a family tracing
themselves back to the students of the Vilna Gaon. It was rumored that Eric’s
mother was a non-Jewish Russian who married a Jewish man. Eric did know beside
Hebrew and English also Russian and French to the best of my knowledge.

In the Sinai Campaign of 1956 he gave orders to his men to dig
foxholes and said start now. He was the first one done. When he led the raid on
Kfar Kassam in the early 50’s 101 did a real tough job on the Arabs that they
never started up against Israel again and live peacefully with us. He was the
general in charge of Southern Command but was passed over by David Elazar for
Chief of Staff and lost out on deputy chief of Staff. He was influential in
forming the Likud Party which consisted of three parties. In 1973 after his
retirement from active army duty he was replaced as the head of southern
command. When the Yom Kippur War broke out the person in charge of the reserve
tank division supplies refused to open up the stores without an order. Eric
Sharon took an ax and broke down the doors and told the soldiers take what you
want and what you need. In the end he signed the papers for everything in the
stores and finished. He gave the orders and plans in the south that turned
around a losing battle to having the IDF 101 KM from Cairo and the Egyptian 3rd
Army surrounded.

In 1977 he was not given a place in the Likud Party and started the
Shalom Tzion Party. He did what Yair Lapid did and chose undemocratically who
should run and this drove a lot of people away from him. In the end he won 2
seats and rejoined the Likud in full glory. He was a fighter for settlements
and was known by the knick name bulldozer. He used to get praise every week by
a newspaper man who met him during his days of battle named Uri Dan. Uri Dan
Z”L used to praise him and both Uri and Katzele from the National Union tried
their best to defend the people of Gush Katif.

When the left came after him because of financial irregularities,
he preferred to sacrifice Gush Katif to going to jail. It was a choice along
with some minor past mistakes that Uri Elizur wrote about last week that said
that in his advanced age he destroyed the good things of his youth. He had a
wonderful sense of humor loved the land as Ruby Rivlin put it coming from a
Moshav family and his growing of sheep. There were stories of his impropriety
with Lily the sister of his first wife who married him after she committed
suicide or he drove her to suicide I even heard directly from a person who
worked in the DA’s office that there were some other theories about how the
wife died. He also caused Menachem Begin a lot of sorrows because of an
incident that the Christian did to the Muslims in Lebanon.

I met him once along with Avigdor Kahalani the heroic tank
commander of the Valley of Tears on the Golan and my first meeting with PM
Netanyahu on a demonstration against giving up the Golan Heights. Having served
there, I am proud to have been in the demonstration and I believe that Eric
would never ever let go of the Golan Heights despite his pragmatic political
approach.

Uri Elizur summed up what happened. Eric turned against his friends
and people who were his enemies for years on end suddenly praised him. He thought
that he could control the Arabs like Rabin thought but Rabin’s life was cut
short and Eric’s career was cut short. He was a fighter, a hero but in the end
because of a jail threat turned coward of the law unlike Arieh Deri and others
who faced and fought the music of the left. One cannot change history or the
suffering of the people of Gush Katif who suffer unto this day (see the news
article below) but I prefer to remember him as a hero with a bandage around his
head in the Yom Kippur War leading his troops to victory.

Miracle Alert: A 16 year old was riding his bike to sign up for the
conscription and physical examination Thursday morning. He stopped his bicycle
by the light rail tracks before cross a truck ran him over crushing the bike
but stopping perhaps a centimeter from crushing him to death. He is in the
hospital with a damaged thigh but thanked HASHEM on national TV to be alive and
it is called a Nes aka Miracle by the doctors.

Rabbi Rachmiel Tobesman Shlita posted this story from the Talmud
which sort of reflects the Israeli Leadership since the founding of the
country. The story goes that Moshe Dayan was visited the States and all the
Goyishe Hosts were eating pork and he was handed a tuna sandwich. He was
looking at his favorite food and was forced to eat kosher. Another story was
that he was asked to make a blessing so he put on a Kipa and read the
abbreviation for HASHEM as ye-yay or something similar.

Kosher is so much more than
merely food. It is the way we approach everyday activities. We have the ability
to elevate the plain everyday actions into something that is wonderful and holy
– this is kosher.

We are taught: “Whoever eats bread without scouring his hands is
as though he were eating food that is ritually unclean.” (Sota 4b) In other
words, failure to observe the practice of washing hands before the meal can
cause one to eat forbidden meat.

“The L-RD said, “In this
way the people of Israel will eat defiled food among the nations… “
(Ezekiel 4:13)

It happened in the days of the
persecution by the Romans that there was an innkeeper who used to cook
forbidden meat as well as clean (kosher) meat and sell them, in order that
nobody should know that he was Jewish. After much observation of people who
came into his inn, his practice became: If anybody entered the inn without
washing his hands, he knew that this must be a non-Jewish person and set pork before
him. But if a person washed his hands, he knew that this must be a Jewish
traveller and gave him meat that was kosher.

On one occasion a certain
Jewish merchant came into the inn to eat and did not wash his hands. He served
the merchant pork, and he ate it and was satisfied. The man ate and did not say
the grace after meals. When the time came to settle the account, the innkeeper
said: “You have eaten a piece for ten copper coins.” “Yesterday,” said the
other, “I ate the same meat for eight, so how can you ask for ten today?” The
innkeeper answered, “I served you pork.” When the man heard this, he became
very upset and whispered to the innkeeper: “I am Jewish, how could you serve me
pork, non-kosher food? ” The innkeeper explained, “When I saw that you did not
wash your hands before eating, I believed that you were not Jewish.” The
merchant became angry and answered: “How could you presume that I was not
Jewish?”

The innkeeper looked at the
merchant for a moment then replied: “Kosher is a way of life for us, and is
much more than the food we eat. You came into the inn and did not wash your
hands, you sat at the table and did not offer any blessing for the food or
bread, you ate in a voracious manner and then you did not offer a prayer of
thanks to the Holy One, blessed be He. Now you tell me how I was to identify
you as Jewish?”

Because the merchant did not
wash before the meal, nor did he act in a kosher way, he was fed non-kosher
meat. Based on Yoma 83b

May all
your tales end with Shalom (peace)

Former Education Minister Yossi Sarid describes an “out
of body” experience he once had after collapsing and losing conscience. Former
Education Minister Yossi
Sarid described this week an “out of body”
experience he once had after collapsing and temporarily losing conscience.

The former head of the leftist Meretz party recalled the
experience in a segment on Army Radio in which listeners are asked to
call in and describe unusual incidents that happened to them.

"Once, I died, I was dead, and I was not here,” said
Sarid. “Our entire family was in the car, and I remember my poor children
sitting in the back, weeping bitterly over their father who left them, my wife
pale."

"I felt that my soul left my body,” he added. “As a
flying soul I hovered over the earth, then I saw my family continuing to drive
the car, because my wife immediately made her way to the hospital. And that’s
where we arrived at the end. When I got to the hospital I returned to my normal
self.”

"The soul, the mind, leaving the body...I do not
really remember what happened, and I do not really believe in the immortality
of the soul, you know? It is also contrary to my ideology,” said Sarid. (Arutz
Sheva’s North American Desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat
in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles,
however, is Israeli time.)

Tu B’Shevat is next week time this week to start buying fruits
and nuts. (Note dried pineapples and bananas do not count as fruit as the
banana ‘tree’ is really a plant according to Halacha otherwise we could not eat
them as the plant lives only 1.5 years or so.) One should read the section of
the Mishna Berura or Kitzur Shulchan Aruch on this holiday during Shabbos to
relearn the Halachos.

I saw
this posted by N.S.T and wanted to bring down the lunacy of some people: To
people who keep kosher: what is your opinion of "looking" extra for
insects with micro and microscopes? The Halacha is: "of you don't see the
bug it's not there". and yet, people go out of their way to find
them...when normally one wouldn't. Isn't it making more trouble than it's
worth?

The Halacha is that what you can see with your eye or perhaps you
might need glasses to have normal vision that is what you look for. If not be
crazy and use an electronic microscope and starve to death. THIS HALACHA ALSO
APPLIES TO PEOPLE WHO CHECK MEZUZOS AND TEPHILLIN what is normal to good vision
of a naked eye is what we look fornot
under magnifying glasses. “Glory be free at last!” – Dr. Martin Luther King is
the theme for this week’s Parsha.

I have been told that the Ellichai One stop Judaica shop is having
sort of a close out on Holocaust books because not to many people nowadays want
depressing stuff so if you are looking for a book at the price of perhaps
5 or 6 years ago look them up. Address: 2305 University Blvd W, Wheaton, MD
20902, United States Phone:+1 301-933-1800 Unfortunately we live in a
generation that ignores history and except for my generation and some Israelis
nobody wants to buy holocaust books any more.

Eli
forwarded a letter from one of the tenants of Mr. Stark: Dear Mrs. Stark and
the entire family,
I had the pleasure of dealing with your husband and
family leader "Max" for almost every month since 2001. I was the
first tenant in his new building at 315 Seigel St and I am still here after all
these years. We often spoke about building
up the neighborhood when it was not safe to even walk around here. He answered
my call and was always there to assist and help with any needs I had as a
tenant. On many occasions, he would call me to walk around with him collecting
the rents and was always interested in my
business and how my family was doing. Max and I
were the same age. After hearing that he had a new born, I immediately called
to wish him my best for the new baby and he replied, I would need to get busy
to catch up to him. I had my first born in the building and he and Sam were
nice enough to stop by to see my son.

Max was a Stand Up guy, a good friend and a very
good landlord. I wanted to take the time to let you know that the world will
not be the same without him. Especially our street here at Seigel. Max was a
pioneer of the neighborhood and his memory will always be remembered here by
our tenants in the building. God Bless his soul and may he be in peace until we
will all join him some day in the heavens.

If there is anything I can ever do for you or your
family, please call me anytime.

Terror
alerts which Israelis don't know about: Has anybody here seen Kerry K-E-double
R -YKerry from a Kohn who deserted his
people. U.S. Citizen Message: January 7, 2014.The temporary ban on the use of
sheruts (mini-bus shared taxis) by U.S. Embassy employees and their families as
of December 23 has ended.U.S. Embassy
personnel and their families are now able to resume their regular use of
sheruts. U.S. citizens are encouraged to exercise caution and take appropriate
measures to ensure their safety and security.U.S. citizens should pay close attention to their surroundings and news
reports, and follow the civil defense guidance provided by the Home Front
Command.http://israel.usembassy.gov

From
Dr. Harry: Not long ago, the moribund eleventh prime
minister released terrorists and destroyed Gush Katif. Decades before these
acts, a murdered patriot identified his character in The Jewish Press.

In 1982, Rabbi Meir Kahane HY”D described Sharon as “the latest darling of the
donkey-nationalists.” He wrote concerning Sharon’s conduct as defense minister
during the First Lebanon War: “Let those who rush to dinners for him at the
chic Glatt Kosher nightclubs or those who through him vicariously live their
‘tough Jewish’ life, remember this. He is a man who is a great general but one
who knows little and cares less about Jewish concepts and discipline. Tomorrow
he is capable of the most incredible and dangerous turnabouts. And that time
the donkeys will bray: How could he have deceived us so? And then they will
find themselves another hero.”

With similar foresight, Rabbi Kahane observed in 1990: “…it was Sharon who
voted for Camp David; it was Sharon who allowed Begin to sign an agreement to
smash Jewish settlements and drag their Jewish occupants from their homes; it
was Sharon who, as Minister of Defense, organized and supervised the
destruction of Jewish settlements and thus set the precedent for the same in
Judea and Samaria and Gaza.”

This Israeli recognized the catastrophic trends. For some people, however, the
emergence of a shark fin in the ocean signals nothing beyond the presence of
marine life.

When the shark bites, some learn from the trauma while others return
defenselessly to be preyed upon again. And for some Jews who think that being a
freier is authentic Judaism, it’s a mitzvah to be preyed upon.

Editorial the US State Dept. could not care
less about Jews and Blacks

To call a spade a spade, I will not be politically correct. Israel
is run by Jews and Jonathan Pollard is a Jew is the first symptom. To them we
are Kikes and the people of Africa in their eyes are not blacks but Niggers and
if you happen to be black and Jewish that is the worst for them. Yes I used
non-PC words. But let me explain. While I write as a Jew mostly about Israel
there a many millions of blacks in Africa which is like Israel not-oil rich and
sometimes not mineral rich so they could not care less about the slaughter of
Kikes and Niggers. They don’t love the Arabs but they get their oil from the
Arabs so they play a filthy game with them.

Africa right now is engaged in a number of wars. It was because of
Algeria and the oil that the west intervened in Mali. In Nigeria there are
slaughters of Christians by Muslims and in the Sudan for years without any real
help from the west. Remember Biafra and the people who died. Rwanda and the
million plus dead which Clinton ignored but had time to bomb the Christian
Yugoslavs in favor of the Croatian Muslims. In the Central African Republic in
the last month between a Christian Militia and the Muslim Jihad over 1000
people have died and yet with the exception of France nobody gives a damn for
to the USA and the press they are Niggers and even Obama doesn’t care about his
own people. Yes, Obama does not care or he is a puppet of somebody else.

The war in Sudan is spilling over to Chad. How about Zambia,
Uganda, Kenya, Somalia vs., Ethiopia? Where is the US Press and the millions of
American Blacks? They are left in the dark like the US Jews were during the
Holocaust. Does anybody care what goes on in Ghana, Angola or the Ivy Coast? No
only Nelson Mandela who was the darling of the Media made the news the other
month while millions fled war, starved, suffered disease. To a Rabbi they are
created in G-D’s image to the State Dept. and the main stream Press they are
Niggers just like Pollard and every Israeli is a Kike.